Fabric Scraps

 I'm afraid that the wonderful advice and methods of collecting fabric scraps is lost on me:  It is just too much to think about, too much to do, too much to execute.  Rather than think, cut, organize and plan,  I'd rather sew the bits and pieces together and make crazy fabric or use them to make designs in fabric postcards.  

Crazy fabric is wonderfully colorful.  It can be transformed into shopping bags, pet beds, crazy quilts etc.  The hodgepodge melange of sizes and colors offer surprises (sometimes shocking) to the eye.  They turn our wonderfully colorful; do not require any planning, other than size of what you want to make with it.  Most importantly, if you are having some happy hour sewing, you can enjoy your favorite beverage, watch your favorite show and grab, sew, press and cut. 

My new obsession is fabric postcards.  You can use all manner of scraps to make designs on a 4 x 6 canvas.  Yes--even stuff that doesn't make a scrappers snuff can be put to good use.  Clipped corners can be come fish tails or house roofs! 

Make no mistake--I admire the organization, creativity and pure industry of managing scraps and then calling upon them to make breathtaking quilts. Regrettably, it is above my pay grade and interest level. 

Fabric Postcards

 


I stumbled upon this great video from, Krebsbachhuber Crafts.  I was inspired to create my own postcards.  This post is not a how to, but rather how I went about it.

 

First, be sure to consult with the post office regs.  You can upsize from "postcard" size, and enjoy a favorable rate (letter), though you may have to use the non-machinable stamp. You can find the regs here and summarized below:

You may think that your mailpiece is a "postcard," because it is a single sheet of paper. But to qualify for mailing at the First-Class Mail postcard price, it must be:

  • Rectangular
  • At least 3-1/2 inches high x 5 inches long x 0.007 inch thick
  • No more than 4-1/4 inches high x 6 inches long x 0.016 inches thick

If your mailpiece does not meet the dimensions above, then the Postal Service considers it a letter and letter-size postage is charged. With USPS Marketing Mail, there is a little more flexibility -- there is no separate (lower) price for postcards, so you don't have to worry about your postcard being too big -- because you're paying letter prices anyway. But make sure that your postcard is no larger than 6-1/8" x 11-1/2" x 1/4" thick. Mailpieces larger than any of those dimensions and you'll have to pay flats (large envelope) postage prices.

 

SNAP Update + Mockingbird Fledglings

 I went to the doctor yesterday to get a 6 week checkup on my mallet finger.  He informs me that I may have another 6 weeks of healing...but that I can gradually remove my splint for very limited times/activities--and it must always be in place while sleeping. Although as I quietly sat watching TV and removed my splint, I was quickly in pain as my finger started to droop. 

While at the doctor's office, I observed some fledged mockingbirds.  They were busy hopping about the landscape begging, and the parents were flitting about feeding them.  I was reminded how devastating cats can be as these little mobile feline/canine snacks were easy targets.  I keep my cats inside to protect wildlife, though for many years I did not.

It is the time of the year in Va to look out your window and spot new fledglings.  They may be hopping about in your yard waiting for a parent to bring food.  If you can, do as I do, and keep your cats inside to give wildlife a break.

Mother's Day

 Mother's Day is a special day.   As the Mother of adult children (oh, how I love the sound of that), they are now able to plan 'stuff' that does not involve me.  Our plan today is for them to go to a local Peruvian chicken place, Canastas, and pick up dinner to bring here.  We are all vaccinated now..I'm on the tale end of my 2 weeks...everyone else in my family was ahead of me--not because I was reluctant, but because they had preferential treatment due to their work.

Memories that are still as vivid and poignant today as they were in the past are those of my giving birth to each of my two children.  No moment is more special than when you hold your newborn for the first time.  It is forever etched on your brain.  And those memories also include the bittersweet memories of the loss of my mother.  My mother was alive when my daughter was born, but she died when Hannah was 18 months old.  My son was born after her death. My father married a lovely woman who was my step mother and treated me as a daughter, and she is a wonderful grandmother to my children. My father passed away 5 years ago this year, and my stepmother lives in another state with one of her daughters.

We are all vaccinated now, so all of us being together risk-free was a godsend.  I needed to do a little EPA cleanup (less robust given we are related!).  While cleaning in the kitchen, I was able to watch the bluebirds who have been frantically feeding their brood.  Over Saturday and Sunday a.m.  I noticed that their behavior changed dramatically.  They started dive bombing the squirrels and chasing other birds away.  Their nestlings were getting ready to fly the coop.

Though I could see one nestling poking its head out (aided by binoculars), I never witnessed their fledging.  They went from being fed by parents and having their poop sacks moved from early Sunday morning, to poking head out, to being gone: the worms were now carried from the deck over the house to a tree in which the juveniles were in.  With the leaves in full bloom, I could not spot one of those rascals.  So as much as I looked (and washed, and cleaned), I missed the launch.

The red bellied woodpeckers are feeding nestlings.  I can tell because they are taking a mouthful of worms to a nesting spot that I have yet to spot.  Though with the pollen storm of the last month, I've not made a concerted effort to find it.



Scrap Bag - Literally

 
"Scrap Bag" shopping tote
 

 There are many ways to save and use scraps. My personal favorite is to literally make a "scrap bag" shopping tote.  What I love about these bags are:

  • they incorporate all of the material that I've used for various projects so when I look at them I remember the project.
  • you can incorporate orphan or futzed up blocks.
  • They are strong--so whatever your shopping need, this bag, so long as you can carry it will provide the lift that you need.
  • Reduce reliance on plastic/paper shopping bags.
 This post is not a "how to" but some nifty tips:
 

 The webbing that I have here is and overkill:  it is a high quality webbing that I bought bunches of when I was making dog collars and leads for my dog transport.  Why would I do such a thing?  Well, dogs from shelters come with a hodgepodge of ill-fitting, poorly-made equipment.  After a few equipment failures (leads/collars breaking), I figured I could make useful things.   So I bought webbing and hardware.  I made martingale type collars that made it easy and safe to take care of my charges so there were no malfunctions.  A shelter dog who escapes from you has no name that you will every call it that s/he will recognize.  So best to ensure they can never get away.  I had one dog slip out of a collar and was heading to a hole in a fence that had a busy interstate on the other side.

So making a scrap bag is a fun and useful way to use your leftover scraps without having to put ANY thought into color size etc...just sit, sip and sew scraps together to make "material". You can find plenty of tutorials about how to construct your bag.  Here are a few thoughts as you consider methods:

  1. Once you have the material for your bag, I found it easiest to work with a length that is twice as long as you want you bag to be high.  That way you are just folding the piece in half, and eliminating one seam.
  2. Figure your handles to have the drop that you want (from the top of handle to the top of the bag).  This is a preferential thing.  Figure out what you like by using your favorite shopping bag as a guide.  the strongest bag will have handles that go all the way around the bottom of the bag.  Essentially you are making a continuous loop with one join.  The bottom center of the bag is going to sit at the middle of the loop.
    • To measure how long this will be take (a) the height of bag from center bottom to top + (b) the handle length = 1 unit of handle length.  You will need 4 units, so multiply by 4.   To this measurement you will need to add 1/2 of the space between you handle spacing on your bag.  If the spacing between the handles is 5", then add 2.5".  This measurement will account for the top of the bag's in situ on your shoulder or in your hand.  
    • loop material:  making this out of fabric is a pain in the butt. If you do, put fusible interfacing on the inside.  It will give it more heft. Webbing is very easy to use and is cheap.  You can get 150 ft /50yds of polypropylene webbing for $20. I bought my last webbing from Strapworks. They have an online Amazon store that is about 10% cheaper than their website plus delivered free.  Can't beat that!
    • Before you join the sides of your bag together, affix the handle.  You will be glad you did.  Stop sewing about 3 inches from the top so that you can sew your inner lining in and top stitch. Sew on each side of the strap and sew a box with an "X" (you can see that on my bag picture).  This method ensures strongly secured junction point that will receive alot of stress.
    • Sewing:
      • I double sew all seams for added strength.
      • To have no raw edges you can use two methods
        • line your bag, keep an "turn area" on your lining side seam..so that you can turn your bag 
        • drop in lining.  Fold the top of outside and the lining toward wrong sides together for about 3/8-1/2". Drop the lining in and then top stitch at near edge of top and then again with a 1/4" space from top seam.  Because  your handles are well out the way, you will have no problems here.
  3. Stabilizing/lining the bag: You can buy all sorts of stabilizer depending on how stiff you want your bag to be:  
    • If you want to practice your quilting, affix your completed material for your bag (like you would a quilt top) to batting.  Practice your free motion quilting.
    • Easily loadable:  Use a really stiff stabilizer to keep your bag's form. 
    • I use medium weight fusible interfacing on both the outside and the lining. 

💡 Those Amazon padded envelopes can be cut flat and then sewn as an insert for your bags to keep your meats insulated and save your bag.  If anything drippy come out, just rinse it out. You can also put them in the bottom of your bag.

Here's a video tutorial (and there are many on the internet).



I hope that you will consider making a scrap bag.....and if you end up with too many bags...well pass it on to another.

My Hunter's Star Quilt Top

 Below is my Hunter's Star Quilt Top (truncated).  I just finished piecing all of the blocks together.  Much more to do.

I made this from white background, blue and green batik fabrics.  The batiks are from Leah Day's collection that I bought from Quilty for $5 per 2 yard bundle.  I bought 10 bundles, but I wished I had bought more.  Hard to find fabric at a such a price.  This quilt used quite a bit of each color.  I will bind it in these batiks, and I think that I'll be done with the fabric.

The full size of the quilt is 5 columns wide (5 @ 12" FB) and 6 rows each (6@12) or 60" x 72"

Hunter's Star 6" Finished Blocks

You can click on the above and open in a new tab to view my handiwork.  Is every star perfect...no.  There are designs on the Batiks that are lost in their totality, but adds, (to my eye anyway) lots of visual interest.  I plant to gift this to a one of my oldest friends for use as a porch quilt.  I may add a coping border so I don't lose any poinits.  Overall, I think that it went together very well.  It is, though, alot of work.  Nevertheless, I found the cutting an piecing very enjoyable.   Please see my blog posts on my approach to this quilt.  I find this block captivating.  My production method (adopted from others and adapted to my tools) suited me, and yielded a high quality result.

 

Creative Grids Diamond Dimensions Rulers + Hunter's Star --Part 1
 
Hunter's Star: Part II